The Rising
by Meg Rider
Summary: Jasmine has been resurrected after centuries. But, with her resurrection also comes the resurrection of her powerful enemy, Sinbad. Sinbad is after revenge after being killed. He rises the dead all over the country and takes over. Surrounded by the dead, Jasmine's only hope for survival is trusting the zombie-enthusiast con artists and handsome thief who brought her back.
1. Chapter 1

Rick O'Connell did not believe in magic. In fact, he believed in few things; he believed in himself and that everything has a price and a value. So, when he heard about a gem with magical properties that could bring someone back to life, he didn't believe the story. He did, however, believe in its value.

Other people, more gullible than he, would pay a fortune for something like that. Rick just needed to obtain it. The gem belonged to a princess named Jasmine from Agrabah, a country which fell to ruins centuries ago after the princess died. The gem was sealed in her coffin with her. A coffin which, as of tonight, is part of a new exhibit at the Chicago History Museum.

Rick hid in the shadows and watched the formally dressed VIP guests parade through the entrance of the museum. Tonight there was a private screening of the new exhibit for the wealthy benefactors of the museum. The princess' coffin was currently held in the basement where it awaited its unveiling later tonight. All Rick had to do was get to the coffin, steal the gem and get out before the unveiling. He had pulled off several successful heists more complicated than this.

Muffled grunts pulled Rick's attention from the museum. He looked back over his shoulder at the young man on the ground. He was bound to a tree, gagged and blindfolded, but trying vigorously to escape. Rick crouched down in front of him, careful not to get his tux dirty. He reached over and took the invitation out of the man's jacket pocket.

Rick scanned it, then smirked at his captive. "Sorry, John Rolfe." He got to his feet. "But I need to get into that museum tonight and I can't get in without an invitation." He tapped John Rolfe's head with the invitation and John flinched. "I'll bring you back some hors d'oeuvres- if I remember."

John said something, but Rick didn't understand him. Rick shrugged and headed towards the entrance. Once inside, Rick was immediately greeted by a white-haired man behind a podium.

"Name?" the old man asked, without looking up.

"Rolfe. John Rolfe." Rick flashed him the invitation. The man looked over the list, then motioned for Rick to continue on.

Rick had never been to the Chicago History Museum before and had little interest in it now. He scanned the crowd until a flash of pink caught his eye. Standing against the wall, talking into a hidden earpiece was Aurora; the beautiful curator and daughter of the museum directors. She was the only one with full access to the museum and Rick needed her in order to get into the basement.

Aurora's perfectly-shaped eyebrows furrowed over her violet eyes as she continued to talk harshly into her earpiece. She needed a drink. As Rick walked passed a waiter, he snagged two glasses of champagne off his tray.

"You should relax," Rick told her when he approached her. He held a glass out to her.

"Relax." Aurora repeated it as if it were the stupidest word ever invented. She took the champagne from Rick and downed all of it in one gulp. A waiter walked by to take her glass and she gave him her pageant smile; the smile that won her the title of Miss Illinois in the Miss America pageant two years ago.

Damn, she's beautiful, Rick thought. Her golden hair was pinned up on one side with a diamond hair comb. Her pink gown revealed just enough cleavage to tease Rick and every other man in the room, while still remaining classy. A vision in pink, she stood out among the sea of black gowns.

"Everyone keeps telling me to relax," Aurora stated, taking Rick's glass out of his hand. She down his drink as well. "I mean, does the name Flynn Rider not mean anything to anyone around here?"

Rick swore under his breath. Aurora didn't notice as she grabbed another glass of champagne. Rick knew Flynn Rider. Flynn was the most notorious thief in the United States. Rick's path had crossed with Flynn's many times; sometimes Rick came out on top, other times it was Flynn. Tonight, though, Rick would not let Flynn win. The princess' gem was Rick's.

Aurora arched an eyebrow at Rick. "What did you say your name was?"

"John Rolfe."

Aurora glared at him. "You're not John Rolfe. He is." She pointed over his shoulder.

Rick turned to see John Rolfe marching angrily towards them. Rick didn't have time to wonder how Rolfe had managed to get free so quickly. In one swift movement, Rick snatched Aurora's key card from where it had been clipped to her dress, then ran in the opposite direction of Rolfe.

"Stop him!" Aurora cried.

A few women let our gasps and screams as Rick pushed his way through the crowd. If he could get to the private elevator, he could get away. None of the guards had keys to that elevator and Rick had just stolen the only key.

No way would the guards shoot off their guns in the middle of the party, so Rick knew as long as he stayed out of their reach, they wouldn't be able to stop him.

Piece of cake.

Rick easily dodged the party guests and guards until he was out of the exhibit wing. Two guards stood at the elevator, ready for Rick. He stuck the key in his coat pocket and readied himself for the fight. The guards rushed him at the same time. Rick swerved out of the way of one and punched the other in the nose. While the second guard was momentarily distracted by the blood spurting over his face, Rick slammed his face against the wall, knocking him out. The first guard pulled out his gun and started shooting at Rick. Fortunately for Rick, the guard was a terrible shot. Not that Rick was expecting the glorified mall cop to be well trained.

Rick pulled out one of his guns from the shoulder holster hidden under his tux jacket and shot back as he ran backwards towards the elevator. The guard ducked behind a pillar for cover. Rick stopped shooting long enough to pull out the key card and scan it. He held the gun in front of him until the elevator doors closed in front of him. He sighed and leaned back against the wall. It was only then that he felt the sharp pain in his side. He looked down at the blood seeping through his white shirt.

"Damn." Rick stuck the gun back in the holster and removed his jacket. He ripped open his shirt and examined the wound. The bullet was no doubt still in the wound and an alarming amount of blood was pouring out of it. He pressed his hand over the hole and applied as much pressure as he could. He'd be able to remove the bullet and stitch himself up later; right now he had to get that gem.

The elevator finally reached the basement and the doors quietly slid open. Flynn Rider already stood over the stone coffin. Rick pulled out his gun and aimed it at Flynn.

Flynn turned around, crowbar in hand. "O'Connell, I was wondering when you were going to show up. I was afraid this was going to be too easy."

Rick didn't have time for the usual banter. He fired the gun at Flynn. The bullet only grazed his temple, but the force knocked Flynn back and his head hit the coffin. Flynn collapsed limply on the floor. Rick holstered the gun, grabbed the crowbar and tried to pry open the coffin. It didn't budge. He tried again. Nothing.

"Damn." He dropped the crowbar on the floor. He braced his body against the coffin and pushed the lid with both hands. The stone dug into his wound, but the lid still didn't slide off. He stepped back and eyed the bloody smear on the stone. He tried to wipe it off, but his bloody hand only made it worse.

It was then, however, that Rick noticed the engraving on the lid of the coffin. He recognized the ancient language. He ran his hand over the markings and read it out loud. He didn't know the exact the translation: something about blood and life.

Suddenly the coffin began to crack and the lid flew off by itself. Rick jumped back and pulled out his gun. The lid to the coffin smashed against the wall and crumbled to the floor. Rick advanced towards the coffin. Inside, a young woman in a wedding gown lied still. Despite being deathly pale, she looked as if she had just been placed in the coffin that day.

As Rick watched, color slowly appeared in her skin. Her chest began to slowly rise and fall and then her eyes flew open. Rick stumbled back.

The woman sat up and stepped out of the coffin. She looked around, then fixed her eyes on Rick. "Where am I?"

"Chicago," Rick replied. "Are you hurt? Did someone put you in there?"

She ignored his questions. "What year is it?"

"2015." Rick lowered his gun. "Do you need help? What's your name?"

"Jasmine. Princess of Agrabah."

Rick chuckled in spite of himself. "I think you're confused. Princess Jasmine of Agrabah died centuries ago."

She remained serious. "Yes. Which means someone has brought me back and-" She stopped and her eyes grew wide with fear. She ran across the room to the other coffin that would be part of the new exhibit. "Oh no," she whispered. "We need to leave. Right now." She faced Rick. "How do we get out of here?"

Rick seized Flynn by collar and shook him. "Rider, wake up."

Flynn groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He immediately shoved Rick away from him and got to his feet. "What the hell, man?"

"We gotta get out of here," Rick told him.

Flynn reached up and gingerly touched his temple. "You shot at me."

"We have to leave now," Jasmine demanded. "Please."

Startled, Flynn looked over at Jasmine. Before he could say anything, the coffin behind her started to crack just as hers had. A few seconds later, the lid flew off and hit the wall.

"This way!" Flynn ran down a long, dark corridor with Jasmine and Rick on his heels.

They stopped at a shattered window just above their heads. Flynn climbed out first, then he and Rick helped Jasmine out. It was difficult with his injury, but with Flynn's help, Rick was able to hoist himself out of the window. Flynn pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and speed dialed a number as they ran towards the street. Flynn said something into his phone that sounded like a code. A moment later a sports car came from out of nowhere and sped up to them. The car slid sideways towards them before coming to a dead stop.

"Get in," Flynn instructed, getting in the front seat.

Rick opened the back door for Jasmine. She hesitated, but climbed in. Rick got in after her and slammed the door shut. A young blonde woman was in the driver seat. She shifted hard into gear, then sped away.

"Flynn, what's going on?" the driver asked, casting a suspicious glance over her shoulder at Rick.

"Fuck. I don't know," Flynn muttered.

Flynn and Rick and looked at Jasmine. "Is there a cemetery near here?" Jasmine asked.

"I think Graceland Cemetery is about four and half miles from here," Rick said.

Jasmine bit her lower lip. "We need to get someplace that's unpopulated and far from any cemetery."

"Why?" Flynn asked.

Jasmine looked out her window. "The dead are rising tonight and you are all going to die."


	2. Chapter 2

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" the blonde, whom Jasmine learned was named Rapunzel, demanded.

Jasmine would have liked some answers, as well. There was so much about this time that she didn't know. She learned the contraption they were in was called a car and was like a large horseless chariot. Rapunzel suddenly made a sharp turn off the road. Jasmine fell against the man called Rick O'Connell. He winced and Jasmine realized he was bleeding.

"You're hurt," Jasmine told him.

"I'm fine," Rick said.

"You're bleeding," Jasmine pointed out.

The other man, Flynn Rider, turned around to face them. "What? You better not be getting blood all over the car."

"I appreciate the concern," Rick muttered.

"I don't give a shit about you being shot. You shot _me_, remember?" Flynn stated.

Rick pressed his hand against his wound and shook his head. "I shot _at_ you. It only grazed you."

Rapunzel pulled onto a dirt road that looked like barely more than a trail. They were in the woods now and the trees were dangerously close to the car. Jasmine feared they would crash, but Rapunzel seemed to navigate in a way to perfectly miss every tree. They bumped over the road for a few minutes before stopping in front of an impossibly small house.

"We're here," Rapunzel announced.

XXX

Not long after arriving at the house, which Jasmine was told was their "hideout", Flynn had gotten a fire going in the fireplace and the four of them were now gathered in the living room. Rapunzel and Flynn were sitting on a tattered couch while Jasmine sat on the floor next to Rick. Jasmine was fascinated as she watched Rick extract the bullet out of his wound. When he finally got the bullet out, he dropped it into a bowl Rapunzel had given him.

"Jasmine?"

Jasmine looked over at Rapunzel. "Yes?"

"What's going on?" Rapunzel repeated.

"It's kind of a long story," Jasmine told her.

"We have time."

Jasmine nodded. "Very well."

"Why don't you start with explaining how you know English," Flynn said. "You're from Agrabah, aren't you?" Jasmine nodded. "Agrabah is in the middle east; shouldn't you speak Arabic or something?"

"I think I need to start in the beginning," Jasmine said. "I was pressured by my father to get married, as all princesses are. There was a prince who came to Agrabah looking to marry me. His name was Sinbad. He was a dangerous man and I did not want to marry him. My father knew of Sinbad's reputation-"

"What reputation?" Flynn asked.

"Sinbad was a prince of a small kingdom. His older brother, Proteus, was next in line for the throne and Sindbad was not happy about that since he wanted to be king. So, Sinbad killed his parents and planned to kill Proteus. However, before he could kill his brother, the guards caught him and Proteus chased him out of the kingdom. Sinbad became a pirate and after having a taste of killing, he found he loved it. He killed most men he came across and became feared in every land." Jasmine brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "Anyways, I refused Sinbad and my father supported me. Sinbad left Agrabah without a fight. Not long after that I met Aladdin. He wasn't a prince, but I loved him. My father changed the law about me having to marry a prince and granted me permission to marry Aladdin." A tear rolled down Jasmine's cheek and she quickly brushed it away. "Our wedding was beautiful; everything I ever dreamed of. And I was _so_ happy. But, it was short-lived. As it turned out, Sinbad was quite angry at being turned down. On my wedding night, he and his crew of pirates attacked the palace. Sinbad killed my father first. I was my father's successor; as long as I was alive and he was dead, I was the one true ruler of Agrabah. Sinbad knew this. He knew he couldn't be the ruler of Agrabah unless he married me and I died while he was my husband. He killed Aladdin in front of me."

"You poor thing," Rapunzel whispered, putting her hand on Jasmine's shoulder.

Jasmine wiped away more tears. "Sinbad forced me to marry him and I complied, knowing at least he'd kill me soon and I wouldn't have to live without Aladdin- or live _with_ Sinbad. However, before he could kill me, the guards finally showed up. To protect himself from being killed, Sinbad put a curse on us, binding us together. If he died, so would I and vice versa. He thought this would prevent the guards from killing him since, in doing so, they would also kill me. And it worked, kind of. The guards didn't kill him. However, my half-brother, Mathayus, didn't know about the curse. He showed up late and upon seeing all the dead bodies and Sinbad, he stabbed Sinbad. Before Sinbad died he told Mathayus all about the lifesource bond and threatened to release a plague of death if he were to ever return." Jasmine looked over at Rick. He was biting his lip in concentration as he sewed up his wound. "You brought me back, Rick O'Connell. Your blood on my tomb while you read the inscription resurrected me and thus Sinbad as well. He'll be looking for me. He'll raise the dead and kill everyone he sees until he finds me and we return to Agrabah. Because it was your blood that brought me back, you and I are linked. I know English because you do. As long as we are both alive, we will always be able to understand each other and sense what the other is feeling- no matter how far away."

Rick stopped stitching himself up and looked at her. "Does that mean if you die, I will, too?"

"No. We would have to be bound through a curse like the one Sinbad put on me. However, I can kind of feel what you feel. For instance, the entire time you've been tending to your wound, I have felt it. I don't feel the pain as intensely as you do, it's more of a faint, dull pain. But, it's there nonetheless."

"Does that mean if you were hurt, Rick would feel the pain, too?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes."

"If you know English because Rick does, does he know Arabic because you do?" Flynn asked.

"He should." Jasmine faced Rick again. "_Marhabaan_."

The corner of Rick's mouth turned up in a half smile. "She said 'hello'."

"That's so cool," Rapunzel said.

Rick shook his head. "I already know some Arabic. I would have known that anyway."

"You know Arabic?" Flynn asked.

Rick went back to stitching up his wound. "I know a little bit of a lot of languages. Enough to get by in most countries." He finished the stitches and cut the thread.

"_Fi almustaqbal, min fadlik la tahsul ealaa talaqa_," Jasmine told him.

Rick laughed. "No promises, princess."

"What did she say?" Flynn asked.

"In the future, please don't get shot," Jasmine translated. "It hurt feeling you dig the bullet out and sew yourself up. I can only imagine the pain of getting shot."

"Can we back up just a little bit?" Rapunzel asked. "What did you mean when you said Sinbad will raise the dead?"

"Every dead body near him will reanimate and walk the earth," Jasmine explained.

"That's awesome!" Rapunzel exclaimed. She and Flynn exchanged excited looks.

Jasmine stared at them in shock. "Excuse me? How is that awesome?"

Rapunzel grinned at her. "The zombie apocalypse is finally happening. We've been preparing for this for a couple years now."

"I don't understand," Jasmine said. "You _knew_ Sinbad would be resurrected?"

"Well, no," Flynn corrected. "I'm guessing _The Walking Dead_ probably doesn't mean anything to you, does it?"

Jasmine shook her head.

"Ignore them," Rick said. He got to his feet and held his hand out to her. "Come with me."

Jasmine let Rick help her up and lead her to the bathroom down the hall. He closed the door behind them and turned on the sink.

"Is there any way to stop Sinbad?" Rick asked her.

"Kill him. If Sinbad dies, so will all of the, um, _zombies_."

Rick picked up a small towel off the sink and stuck it under the water. "But, killing Sinbad would result in you dying, as well."

"Yes. I have already contemplated killing myself. However, I want to watch him die. I want him to suffer so he knows how I felt watching him kill Aladdin."

Rick looked at her through the reflection of the mirror. "You want revenge."

"I do." Jasmine sat down on the edge of the tub. "I loved Aladdin more than anything and Sinbad took him from me. He stole my only chance at a happy life. I won't let him get away with that."

Rick removed his shoulder holster and then his ripped shirt and set them on the floor. Jasmine couldn't help noticing all of the scars on his body. Rick caught her looking at his bare torso and gave her a smug smile. Jasmine blushed and looked away.

"You have a lot of scars, Rick O'Connell."

"You can just call me Rick, princess" he said, using the wet towel to clean the blood off his skin.

"And you can call me Jasmine," she told him.

"So, Jasmine; is there any way to kill Sinbad without killing you?"

Jasmine shook her head. "I mean, it's possible if the curse was somehow broken. But, I don't know how to do that. But, it doesn't matter. I don't belong here. I don't want to stay here."

"You're O.K. with dying?"

"Rick, I've been dead for hundreds of years. Death doesn't bother me."

Rick nodded. "But, what I don't understand is how your jewel fits into all of this."

Jasmine reached up and touched the blue jewel sewed into her dress. "What do you mean?"

"It's said that your jewel has magical properties that can bring back the dead."

"I assure you that's not true. It's just a jewel."

Rick dropped the towel on the sink. "Is it worth anything?"

"It has monetary value, but only that. Whoever told you otherwise was misinformed."

Rick eyed the jewel and Jasmine started to feel a little uneasy. "Still. I have a buyer who believes it's magic and he's ready to pay a lot of money for it."

Jasmine got to her feet. "I don't want to part with it. This stone was set in the crown my mother wore before she died. It's important to me."

Before Jasmine could register what was happening, Rick reached down, grabbed his gun and aimed it at her head. "If I kill you, I stop Sinbad and his undead army and I'll get your jewel. I see no reason to keep you alive, princess."


End file.
